Yatsugatake Brewery has released its limited-brewed beer “Shirakaba Beat 'Nama'.” The setting is the brewery at an elevation of about 1,200 meters on the Kiyosato Plateau in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture. Yatsugatake Brewery is a brewery that champions “MALT CENTRIC BREWING,” a philosophy that draws out the body and umami inherent in malt using the crisp natural water of the southern foothills of Yatsugatake. Since the brewery was established in 1997, it has continued making beer while incorporating traditional methods such as decoction.

This “Shirakaba Beat 'Nama'” is a limited-edition beer that expresses that brewing philosophy through ingredients unique to the Kiyosato Plateau. Its defining feature is the use of natural birch sap water, which can be collected only for a short period in early spring, as part of the brewing water. The fact that production begins with the collection of birch sap water is itself part of what makes this beer unique. In brewing, the collected sap water is added at the start of wort boiling, and four kinds of pilsner malt, including Weyermann and Barrett, are blended. For hops, German Cascade is used to add a soft citrus aroma.

The finished beer is a drinkable, clean-finishing pilsner, yet one that still lets you clearly taste the rich malt umami characteristic of Yatsugatake Beer. In the official beer introduction, it is presented as a limited beer made with natural birch sap water and noted as currently on sale. It has an alcohol content of 5.0% and an IBU of 19. The design gives it a light palate that evokes pure nature, while also leaving a herbal, refreshing impression.

Sales are available through Yatsugatake Beer’s official online shop, the Kiyosato restaurant Moegi no Mura ROCK, the shop Essengarten, and liquor retailers and dining establishments nationwide. This bottle, which combines Kiyosato’s local character with a brewing philosophy centered on malt umami, can be said to succinctly express Yatsugatake Brewery’s individuality as a limited beer.